Such a wheel bearing is known, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 5,756,894. The basic structure of the wheel bearing consists of a wheel hub that is attached to a motor vehicle and that has a stationary outer race and a rotating inner race onto which a wheel of the motor vehicle can be mounted. The structure described corresponds to the wheel bearing provided on a non-driven wheel. Between the outer race and the inner race, there is a bearing which comprises a plurality of rolling elements that are arranged, for example, in two parallel bearing races. Moreover, an encoder, for instance, in the form of a toothed ring, is non-rotatably secured on the rotating inner race. The stationary outer race also has a sensor holder to hold a sensor that is positioned in such a way that the surface of the sensor held therein is situated opposite from the rotating encoder. Fundamentally speaking, the wheel bearing has to be lubricated, whereby, in order to attain the longest possible service life, it is important for the lubricant not to leak out or to be contaminated by dirt particles that might get into it. For this purpose, the wheel bearing has to be sealed. Since the sensor holder of the wheel bearing disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,756,894 is open towards the encoder, this wheel bearing has to have a gasket situated between the sensor and the sensor holder. This gasket itself increases the probability that damage might occur to the wheel bearing since the gasket can be damaged, for example, when the wheel bearing is being assembled or it might lose its sealing effect due to wear and tear.
International patent application WO 2008/006777 A1 discloses a wheel bearing in which the encoder is additionally protected towards the outside by means of a cover that prevents the penetration of dirt particles while also preventing leakage of the lubricant. In the case of this wheel bearing, the sensor itself has to be mounted on the outside since no sensor holder is provided on the wheel bearing itself.